


Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; It Will Always Be You

by leedonghyucks



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Angst if u squint, Canon Compliant, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Kinda, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, but they arent really enemies? jdhfsk it was a brief mention, i mean theyre idols, i should stop tagging i'll edit these later, i think, its basically non-existent, like legit, meaning that there isnt a lot, shdjsa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-17
Updated: 2019-06-17
Packaged: 2020-05-13 07:29:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19246615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leedonghyucks/pseuds/leedonghyucks
Summary: the tale of mark and donghyuck from their trainee days up until present time





	Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow; It Will Always Be You

Mark and Donghyuck had been inseparable since _forever_. They had trained together, promoted as baby TVXQ together, debuted in NCT 127 and NCT Dream together. They had literally spent more time with each other than they did with their actual families. Mark often wondered whether that was a good or bad thing.

Mark remembered his initial impression of Donghyuck. He remembered how much he hated the other who had been teasing him relentlessly, making him contemplate leaving SM Entertainment and going back to Canada, just to avoid seeing the younger any second longer. He hated how annoying Donghyuck was, constantly pestering him to go back to the dorms as it approached midnight, forcing him to end his practice sessions early. He hated the pranks Donghyuck pulled on him, misplacing his shoes when he was about to leave for practice and stealing his water bottle just as he was about to head out. Mark later on found out that it was Donghyuck’s weird way of preventing him from overworking himself, which Mark found quite... heartwarming. The younger _did_ care, he just had an odd way of showing it.

The thing was, ever since their trainee days, Mark knew they had great chemistry and that they would probably end up in the same group together. Child Mark absolutely hated the fact.  When they had to promote as baby TVXQ with three other trainees, Mark’s view slowly but surely changed. He got to know Donghyuck better. He got to know the boy behind the jokester facade. Given, he still got bullied and teased by the younger, this time on air, but Mark now knows it was all in good fun. He still found it annoying, definitely, but he could not find it in him to despise the younger any more.

When Mark found out that they were going to be debuting in 127 together, he was ecstatic. By this time, Donghyuck and him had progressed from being friends to being close friends. Mark was sure that soon enough, they would be bestfriends and to be honest? Mark was here for it. Gone were the days he had called his mother just to complain about Donghyuck. Donghyuck this, Donghyuck that. He now finds himself telling his mother about the adventures he and Donghyuck had, much to his mother's delight.

Debuting with a group of teenagers and adults who looked like they had their shit together was intimidating, to say the least. He was extremely grateful for the other awkward teenager to be there with him. At least, if it looked like he was making a fool of himself he had Donghyuck by his side. Even though the younger seemed to team up against him more often than not, he knew that at the end of the day, Donghyuck had his back. They later on found out that the hyungs in fact  _do not_ have their shit together and it was safe to say that the intimidating impression from earlier had disappeared completely.

Debuting together in Dream did not come as a shock to the both of them. They were happy to finally be promoting with people of their age, their friends that they have known for ages. Donghyuck, especially, was ecstatic to be promoting with Jeno, Jaemin and Jisung. After years of training together, it was finally time for them to realise their dreams. Not to forget Renjun and Chenle who had instantly clicked with their group, completing their little group. For Mark, it was a bit scary at first, because he had to lead six other members at such a young age. Being a leader, no matter the age, was a challenging thing. He got along well with the other members, so that wasn't the thing that was bugging him. The thing was, he loved the members to bits but their mischievousness could get a little too much sometimes. He knows they mean well, but sometimes it just gets too much for Mark. If he was lucky, Donghyuck would take pity on him and chastise the others for him. Knowing his luck, it didn’t happen often but Mark _does_ notice Donghyuck subtly nudging the others to behave. The other thing that could make up for it was Mark and Donghyuck's usual car trips to and from 127 schedules, where Donghyuck would let Mark lay his head on his shoulder while he softly sung to any song that came to mind. It was rare for people to witness this side of Donghyuck. Donhyuck didn't like to show this side often, claiming that it would mess with his  _cool hyung, bad bitch_ image. Or so he says. Mark was just grateful that he, at least, got to see it.

With most things regarding Donghyuck, it was impossible for Mark to resist. So when he had a life-changing realisation at 2 am in the morning while cooking himself some ramen, his first reaction was to freak out for the first few minutes (because Mark isn’t Mark if he doesn’t freak out) before finally accepting his impending doom of rejection and heartbreak. Mark Lee, leader of NCT Dream, member of three NCT units, liked his bestfriend Lee Donghyuck, main vocalist of NCT Dream, member of two NCT units. Mark figured that it was bound to happen sooner or later, with how beautifully the other seemed to grow up. Gone were the chubby cheeks and awkward fashion sense of the early 2010s. Donghyuck had glowed up and he glowed up _hard_.

Not only that, but Donghyuck seemed to actually grow up personality-wise too. He still teased Mark, don’t get him wrong, but it was... different? He was more considerate of Mark’s feelings, making sure to not cross any lines. He had also seem to be taking care of Mark more these days, more than Mark had been taking care of him which made Mark’s heart flutter. It was unfortunate that Donghyuck meant it in a bestfriend kind of way instead if a boyfriend kind of way but it made Mark happy nevertheless. He was determined to bring this secret with him to the grave, though. He was scared that this would ruin his years of friendship with Donghyuck and he cherishes that too much to let it go to waste over some dumb feelings.

The problem was, Mark’s solution was to ignore his feelings and with that, ignore Donghyuck. It pissed Donghyuck off to no end when the elder pretended not to see him or ignored his texts asking him what was wrong. So, Donghyuck ignored Mark back which caused Mark to be angry because _can’t Donghyuck understand that I’m doing this to get over him?_ Of course Donghyuck could not. He wasn’t a mind reader. So he did what any non-mind reading human would do. He jumped to conclusions. Donghyuck thought that Mark was being petty and Mark thought that Donghyuck was being childish. They threw insults at each other, said words they never meant, but none of that could be taken back. It put a strain on their relationship and tensions soared as it was the first time Mark and Donghyuck had fought this bad, ever since their trainee days. Donghyuck had sought refuge in Jeno, much to Mark’s annoyance and Mark had sought refuge in Jaehyun. They pretended that they were fine with the situation, that it didn’t bother them one bit when in fact, it was the most miserable both of them had felt in a long time.

Johnny, bless his soul, had decided that it was enough. That this tomfoolery had to end and it had to end that very day. So, he forced Mark and Donghyuck in a room to talk out their problems, only letting them out when they had made up.

“If I hear you guys fighting, I swear to _God_ I will get Taeyong and Doyoung involved and I’ll be there _every second_ to enjoy your pain as you have to sit and listen to their God awful lectures,” Johnny threatened before locking the door.

Mark and Donghyuck, who had been inseparable since forever, suddenly found it awkward to be alone together. As if they hadn’t spent half their lives being alone together, practicing, goofing around, enjoying each other’s company. Mark thought it was ridiculous and so did Donghyuck. They laughed at the absurdity of it all, unsure of how else to react to the situation at hand. As the minutes ticked by, Donghyuck decided that he had enough. He stalked towards Mark with determined steps, only stopping when he was directly in front of the other.

“What the hell, Mark Lee?” Was all Donghyuck managed to get out before Mark’s brain went into auto-pilot mode due to their close proximity, and kissed him.

Mark kissed Donghyuck. His _bestfriend_ , Donghyuck. The Donghyuck he had known ever since he was young. The very same Donghyuck that - _oh_. Donghyuck’s kissing him back. _Donghyuck_ , his bestfriend. 

“You owe me ten bucks,” Yuta suddenly said, causing both of them to jump apart.

They looked to the now unlocked door in shock, watching in horror as a sniggering Yuta received his ten bucks from an equally amused Jaehyun.

“I said make _up_ not make _out_ ,” Was all Johnny said as he closed the door once again.

Ever since that faithful day, Mark and Donghyuck had become more inseparable than ever. Their dynamics did not really change that much. They were still the same Mark and Donghyuck who would tease each other and playfully fight over small things. There was just a lot more kissing involved behind closed doors but that was it. That is, until that one day.

The day Donghyuck had doubled over in pain, clearly indicating that something went wrong was still fresh in Mark’s mind. They were rehearsing for their upcoming concert when all of a sudden, a loud thud followed by a shout was heard, halting all activity in the room. The managers who were monitoring their practice had immediately rushed to Donghyuck’s side, trying to help him stand up but to no avail. They had carried him out of the practice room and drove straight to the hospital. An hour later and all of NCT had found out that their beloved member was injured and could no longer partake in any promotions.

After practice ended, Mark had rushed to the hospital, not bothering to change out of his practice clothes, much to Doyoung’s chagrin. The younger had bolted out the door the moment their trainer left, adamant to see for himself that Donghyuck was alright. He barely remembered to put on a disguise but caught himself just in time. There was no need for news to break out that way.

When he reached the hospital, the first thing he did was go to the convenience store. It would be rude of him to go visit someone without bringing a gift. His mother would be disappointed in him, even if said person he was visiting was the bane of his existence for a few years and counting (he still loved him dearly, though). He scanned through the snacks on display, searching for the chocolate bar he knew Donghyuck loved when his eyes landed on the flower shop opposite the convenience store. Donghyuck and him had been dating for awhile, but Mark was never overly affectionate with the younger. They were bestfriends before they were boyfriends so for Mark to suddenly show the younger just how deep his love ran for him after years and years of hiding it behind playful shoves and teasing was quite....  _weird_ to say the least. He was working on it, though. They both were.

With that, Mark made up his mind. He purchased the chocolate and went straight to the shop, already knowing what bouquet to get for the younger.

He tentatively knocked on the door before turning the door knob and entering the room. The lights were dim but the television was on, indicating that Donghyuck was awake.

“Hey,” Mark said, softly.

He hated the sight of the younger in a hospital bed, looking vulnerable and helpless. It pained his heart to see the usually bright boy laying down on the bed weakly, the events of today and an accumulation of fatigue over these past few months wearing down on him.

“Hey,” Donghyuck replied, turning off the television. He opened his mouth to say something smart — Mark assumed — but promptly closed it again as he eyed the bouquet of sunflowers Mark was currently holding.

“For you,” Mark cleared his throat, looking everywhere but Donghyuck.

Donghyuck let out a cough, nodding hastily as he reached out and took the bouquet, blushing.

They had spent hours after that, talking about anything and everything until it was time for Mark to eventually leave. He did not want to leave Donghyuck all by himself in a creepy ward kilometres away from the dorms but Donghyuck had reassured him that he would be fine. After a few more minutes of Mark weakly protesting and Donghyuck giving Mark The Look™️, Mark relented. He promised to visit Donghyuck again as soon as he could but alas, that promise could not be fulfilled. Three days later, Donghyuck had been discharged and had went home to his family.

It had been a few weeks since he last saw Donghyuck in person, with promotions getting in the way and practice for the new Japanese single taking place. Not to mention the concert that was coming up. He had to make do with low quality video calls and daily text messages that paled in comparison to actually seeing Donghyuck in the flesh. It was starting to take a toll on Mark, with him calling every other Dreamie member Donghyuck and him mentioning Donghyuck whatever chance he could. Every vlive, every interview. He had even somehow managed to convince the 127 hyungs to take a picture laying down in a circle to resemble the sun, or more accurately, full sun. Haechan. His Haechan. His Donghyuck. The teasing he got from the members afterwards, however, was worth it as an “I miss you too, Mark,” followed by a series of heart emojis and a selfie from Donghyuck, made their way into his notifications.

You see, this was the first time in _years_ that Mark had been apart from Donghyuck for longer than a week. He still remembered jokingly telling Donghyuck that he could finally take a break from seeing the younger every day, saying that it was his much needed healing time to which the younger retorted with a roll of his eyes and a smack to his chest. Mark had wholeheartedly laughed at his reaction then, but he found himself wiping away a tear as he thought about it now. He just wished that Donghyuck would come home sooner.

On Christmas eve, when all of the members were in the dorms, just finishing their schedule for the night, Mark finds himself longing for Donghyuck even more. It’s been awhile since they were allowed to leave for their hometowns and celebrate Christmas with their families. Donghyuck and Mark had usually spent it binge watching movies such as Home Alone and The Notebook. They would then sneak into the living room at around 3 in the morning and make themselves hot chocolate, all the while trying to peak at the gifts the members had left underneath their fake ass Christmas tree. Donghyuck would then take out a mistletoe from God knows where and put it above their heads, obnoxiously telling Mark that he was required by law to kiss him. As if Mark needed law enforcement to kiss the younger breathless any time of the year, any time of the day.

Mark briefly wondered if his Christmas gift had already reached Donghyuck as he couldn’t go to his house to deliver it personally. He noticed that Donghyuck’s practice shoes had been worn so much, it’s soles were already exhausted. Mark decided to get him the Nike shoes the younger had been eying for months, hoping that it would motivate Donghyuck to recover quickly. Knowing Mark’s luck,  however, the shoes might not arrive until a day before New Year’s. Mark sighed into his hot cholocate that had gone cold by now. He really missed Donghyuck.

After some time, Donghyuck had returned to the dorms but decided to stay with the Dreamies instead. Mark was _this close_ to throwing a tantrum but he held it in. Mainly because he didn’t want to show such horrible manners to the boy he loves but partly to avoid the teasing that will surely ensue. He had unconsciously pouted, though, and this did not go unnoticed by Donghyuck who had just emerged from the cuddle pile the Dreamies pulled him in.

“Aww, did you miss me that much, Mark?” He teasingly asked, accompanied by snickers courtesy of Chenle and Jisung.

Usually, Mark would retort with a “you wish”, followed by an eye roll but this was not a usual occasion. This was Donghyuck actually being here with him after a few moths of being apart. Finally.

“Actually, I really did. I still miss you even when you’re here,” Mark replied earnestly, making sure to include the longing he had been feeling the past months into his tone.

The snickering had stopped and Mark was left with a blushing Donghyuck who had no retorts for the first time in his life. He opened his mouth only to close it a few seconds later, unsure of how to respond to Mark’s blatant display of emotions. He didn’t need to because soon, Mark was pulling him into a hug and inhaling his scent deeply.

“I really miss you, Donghyuck. Don’t leave me ever again,”

Donghyuck didn’t leave him. It was Mark who had to leave Donghyuck as the doctors deemed Donghyuck unfit to participate in the Japan tour.

“It’ll be over before you know it,” Donghyuck said as he kissed Mark’s cheek, trying to comfort the older boy who actually threw a tantrum this time.

“But a day without you is already a day too long,” Mark whined, burying his face into Donghyuck’s neck, seeking comfort.

Donghyuck chuckled, patting Mark’s head as the older continues to cling onto Donghyuck, not wanting to let go just yet. He made eye contact with Taeyong, signalling him for help but the leader just smiled and walked away. _Traitor._

A few minutes later, Doyoung had to go and physically detach Mark from Donghyuck as they had to leave for the airport. Donghyuck laughed as Mark glared at Doyoung but reluctantly obeyed, much to Doyoung’s amusement. Mark had kissed Donghyuck one last time before finally making his way to the door, promising to call Donghyuck as soon as they landed.

Donghyuck was scrolling through Instagram and getting ready for bed when his phone had obnoxiously blared out Twice’s Yes or Yes on full volume, making the boy drop his phone onto his face. He let out a groan and massaged his face, only to belatedly realise he had not answered the call yet.

“Hey, baby,” Mark said as soon as Donghyuck picked up the phone.

Donghyuck for the life of him, could not figure out when Mark had decided to go all affectionate on him, not that he was complaining. It was just... _puzzling_.

“Hey, Mark,” Donghyuck sleepily answered, stifling a yawn.

They had talked for awhile, with Mark telling Donghyuck about the things he did in Japan and Donghyuck telling Mark all about the anime he had been binge watching.

“To get a feel of Japan, you get me?” Donghyuck remembered saying, causing Mark to reply with “I really wish you were here,” and “Japan’s not the same without you,”.

Donghyuck had told Mark to stop being a baby to which Mark responded with a whiny “I just really miss you, okay?”, causing Donghyuck to laugh and maybe, just maybe, causing his heart to beat rapidly in his chest.

They ended the call a little bit past 4 in the morning, with Donghyuck forcing Mark to sleep and threatening to not answer his calls anymore when Mark said that he wanted to talk to him for just a little while longer, fuck sleep.

The days went by and soon enough, Mark was already back in the dorms, rushing to barge into Jaehyun and Donghyuck’s shared room. Donghyuck had barely enough time to process whatever the fuck was going on at 3 o’clock in the morning, disrupting his Prince of Tennis binge watching session when Mark had entered the room, causing whatever annoyance Donghyuck felt to dissipate entirely.

He motioned for Mark to climb into his bed with him, all the while throwing a grateful smile to Jaehyun who had turned to leave for Doyoung’s room for the night. After a minute or two, the both of them were huddled against each other, Prince of Tennis long forgotten.

“I’ve missed this,” Mark whispered as he pulled Donghyuck close, kissing his forehead as Donghyuck hummed in response.

It had been a few months since they’ve last cuddled, with Donghyuck being sent home due to his injuries and how busy Mark had been preparing for the tour.

“I missed you,” Mark said as he pecked Donghyuck’s nose.

“I missed you too,” Donghyuck said, smiling.

They laid there in silence, looking into each other’s eyes, glad to be together again after so long. Had Mark known that this was going to happen, he would’ve spent less time pushing Donghyuck away and more time showing him how much he loved him. It was a shame that it took Donghyuck being apart from him for Mark to realise just how important Donghyuck was to him and how scary it would be if Mark was to lose him one day. He realised how important it was to _show_ that to Donghyuck. To let him know how madly in love Mark was with him, his ego be damned. He no longer cared if the others would tease him for it, as long as he gets to witness the steady blush colouring Donghyuck’s cheeks and his shy smile that rarely makes an appearance.

 “Hey, Hyuck,” Mark said, yawning.

 “Yes, Mark?” Donghyuck answered as he snuggled into Mark’s chest.

 “I really love you,” Mark said as he leaned in to kiss Donghyuck for the first out of many times that night.

  


**Author's Note:**

> bruvs im just in my markhyuck feels these days it was bound to happen djhfjs n e ways shout at me on twitter @hyuckieee (i changed my @)


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